The role of the Medical Review Officer.
A medical review officer (MRO) is an independent and impartial licensed physician. The role of the MRO is to review laboratory drug and alcohol* results, in line with any medical explanations given by the donor, and determine if the reasons given explain the results of the drug testing. MROs can also give opinions and insight into the performance of safety critical tasks with regards to the results of the drug and alcohol test.
How is an MRO review conducted?
If the case requires an MRO review, we will contact our MRO provider directly and send them a copy of the chain of custody form, along with a copy of the results. The MRO will then call the donor to discuss anything pertinent to the case, such as prescriptions or over the counter medications. The MRO will then determine if the information given by the donor explains the results found and will provide a summary.
They’re not my regular GP, should I be telling them my personal information and medications?
We understand it can feel a little uncomfortable to declare your prescriptions and medications to someone who is not your regular GP but it’s important when interpreting your drug testing results. All MROs used by SLS are licensed physicians and are bound by oath to keep your information private and confidential, just like your regular GP.
My employee says they have missed the call from the MRO, what happens now?
The MRO will attempt to call the donor more than once. If the donor doesn’t answer then an “incomplete procedure” is returned to SLS. We will then contact the employer to let them know that the MRO has been unable to get in touch. The employer then has the choice to request another round of attempts (incurring a further MRO cost), or to accept the incomplete procedure. If the incomplete procedure is accepted, then the results will be issued to the customer that day.
Are SLS MROs RISQS accredited?
Yes, the MROs we utilize are accredited to the RICCL code HH4.
How do I add an MRO to our analysis?
If you would like to discuss adding MRO reviews to your account, please get in touch with our customer service team on 01873 856688 or your account manager.
*Please note, our MROs only review alcohol results in urine, not in breath.
Author: Michelle Csete